Syrian President Bashar Assad, in a bid to fortify national unity, issued a presidential decree pardoning 312 Syrian Kurds accused of taking part in riots in Syria last year. The decree by President Bashar said that the "Syrian Kurdish citizens have been released in the framework of a presidential pardon that was based on a desire to enhance national harmony and unity in the country." Observers saw the presidential pardon as part of a wider plan by the government to introduce more reforms and implement practical measures to meet some demands by the Kurdish activists in the country. Syria promised the United Nations this week to end its 29-year military presence in Lebanon before the elections.